A typical camera for mounting on a vehicle has a lens member, an imaging element, a circuit board and housing members that connect together. It is generally desirable to reduce the cost of manufacture of such cameras and to improve their reliability.
As an example, some cameras may use an epoxy to mount the lens member to the front housing member. However, the epoxy that is used may be susceptible to softening under high temperature, at which point the lens member becomes vulnerable to being moved out of focus with the imaging element. It would be desirable to reduce the vulnerability of the lens member to movement under high temperature.
Another problem with some cameras relates to the cable that exits the camera and extends to other vehicular components. A camera may be positioned within a protective housing, which may be closed about the camera or sensor and secured together. The camera includes a wire harness or wire or lead electrically connected to circuitry of the camera and extending through the camera housing for electrical connection to a vehicle wire harness or the like.
A need exists for an inexpensive camera cable exit strategy that is space efficient, hermetically sealed, provides substantial of cable strain relief in any axis (such as, for example, more than about 110 N of cable strain relief in any axis), and can withstand the stresses of automotive environmental conditions. Currently used grommets in the industry tend to leak when subjected to off axis stresses. Also, many existing exit strategies incorporate additional and complex contact interfaces along the conductive paths from wire to board so that pins or specific terminals are introduced which can be press-fit or over-molded into a sealed plastic interface. This may increase cost, complexity and quality risks associated with the camera cable.
It would be advantageous to provide a camera that addresses one or more of these and other considerations.